Fountain-pen.



VAN VECHTON RIESBERG.

FOUNTAIN PEN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-17. 1914.

1,171,652. I Patented Feb. 15,1916...

.143 i 14 3 J5 E 67 25 INVENTORK WITNESSES A ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. i

VAN VECHTON BIESBEBG, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- EALF TO FRANK H. DOUGHERTY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOUNTAIN-PEN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

Application filed Iarch 17, 1914. Serial No. 825,436.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VAN VECHTON Rms- BERG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fountain-Pens, of which the a low price; which shall present a neat and attractive appearance; which shall have no tendency to clog up; which may be readily cleaned, and which shall be void of complicated or intricate mechanism or parts.

Further objects of my invention are to provide such a fountain pen which shall be durable in operation; which shall consist of a minimum number of parts; which may be readily filled with ink, and which shall have no tendency to overflow or blot either when in or when not in operation.

My invention further includes all of the various other novel objects and features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitely specified.

In the accompanying drawing in which is shown a fountain pen embodying one form of my invention, Figure l is a central longitudinal section of such a pen, together with its cover, a portion of the pen being shown in elevation, and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary central longitudinal section considerably enlarged, clearlyillustrating certain details of the device.

That form of my invention shown in the drawing may consist of an elongated, preferably cylindrical barrel 1, of suitable size and shape and formed of suitable material, providing the ink reservoir 2 in its interior. One end of the reservoir may be closed by a suitable cap 3, removably attached to the barrel 1 in any suitable manner. In the drawing the cap is shown as provided with internal threads 5 at its open end suita le for engagement with other threads provided upon the exterior of the barrel 1 adjacent its open end, the external diameter of the barrel being slightly reduced at that point for the purpose, so that when the cap 3 is screwed in place, the exterior of the bar rel and cap will present a substantially uniform surface. If desired the exterior of the barrel and cap may be slightly tapered toward the end of the cap, as shownin the drawmg, in such manner that the cover 7, the intenor of which ma be provided with a simllar taper, may be s ipped over the cap and barrel and be frictionally maintained thereonin the well-known manner when the pen is m operation, the cover thus serving to somewhat elongate the pen, and affording a better grip for the hand of the user.

The exterior of that end of the barrel opposite to the end at which the cap 3 is attached, may preferably be reduced in diam-- eter, thereby providing an annular shoulder 1'0, beyond .which the exterior of the barrel is tapered gradually inward, thus forming a somewhat extended point 12, as

clearly shown in Fig. 2, the extreme outer end thereof being shaped to provide a seat or cup 14, adapted for the reception of a substantially spherical element or ball 15, which may preferably be formed of material of considerable hardness.

The cup 14 upon the end of the pen barrel may preferably be of such size as regards the ball 15 that it will extend well up on the sides of the ball but will not extend far enough to reach the point of, greatest diameter thereof, although the proportions of the ball and the cup. may be regulated in. p'lactice as desired to produce the best res ts.

A substantially conical cap 20, preferably formed of metal, hard-rubber or other suitable material, is adapted to rest over the point 12 of the barrel, and to be secured in place thereon preferably by suitable threads on its interior engaging with similar threads 22 formed upon the reduced portion of the able opening of slightly smaller diameter than the diameter of the ball 15, so that when the cap 20 is in position upon the barrel 1, and the ball 15 resting in the cup 14,

as clearly shown in Fig. 2, a considerable portion of the ball will project somewhat beyond the smaller end of the cap 20. If desired the taper of the exterior of the point If desired the exterior of the barrel 1 at,

that end thereof nearest the ball maybe tapered in a manner similar to that already described in relation to the other end of the pen, so that when the cover 7 be slipped over the end of the pen it will be retained thereon. by friction. in the ordinary manner.

If desired, however, other means for maintaining the cover 7 in position upon either end of the pen barrel may be provided such as screw. threads or other equivalent means.

The interior walls of the ase: 1'. may preferably be so formed as to'substantlally follow the contour-of the exterior walls thereof, andthe' reservoir 2.in the interior of the pen will therefore be of greatest di'.

' ameter at the point of greatest diameter of the pen and will taper toward the point of thepen as clearly shown in Fig. 2, its end adjacent the ball 15 being of relatively small diameter. Leading fromjthe reservoir 2 to the interior of the seat 14 is a suitable duct 27,. preferably in axial alinement with the central longitudinal axis of the pen, whereby the ink or. other fluid contained within thereservoir will be conducted'to the surface of the ball 15.

The operation of the device is as fol lows: I duced into the reservoir 2 by detaching the cap 3, after which operation the cap 3 may be replaced in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The fluid will now be conducted, when the pen is maintained in a position slntable for writing, to the surface of theball 15 by means of the duct 27, and from thence to the surface of the paper by the rotation of the ball when the .pen is in operation, the friction between the surface of the ball and the paper being suflicient to rotate the former. It will be understood that the ball is maintained between the surface of the cup 14: and the interior of the cap 20 with just sufficient pressure so that it will rotate when it traverses the paper, but not suificiently loosely to permit the ink to How from the duct 27 over the surface of the ball i .conlcal cap belng I operative to maintain and between it and the interior of the cap 20 when the pen is merely held with theball 15 pointing downwardly. In other words, when the pen traverses the paper'ink will be, so to speak, drawn down by the rotation of the ball, but will not flow read-- ily over the surface of the ball unless the i It will be understood same be rotated.

that a certain longitudinal adjustment of other means of securing theca Ink or other fluid may-be intro-' mantra the ink or other fluid used in the pen, and it is therefore considered that the threads 22.

should be made of comparatively fine (pitch in order to permit ofvan accurate a justment of the cap 20 upon the barrel, or,'if in position. are utilized, such means sho be designed so as to permit .of a similar longitudinal adjustment of the cap 20. It is not intended, however, in the commercial form of my invention that the relation between the cap 20' and thebarrel 1 shall be constantly varied by the user, but that the pens shall. be properly assembled and adjusted at the factory, and that the cap 20 shall not be thereafter disturbed f from its adjusted position except to insert a new ball or when exceptional or unusual conditions of use are encountered. It will be further understood that the rotation of the ball will be facilitated by the lubricating effect of the ink or other fluid, and that in consequence the wear between the ball and the various sur faces contacting with it will be practically negligible. Moreover, that I do not desire to limit myself to the precisedetails of construction and. arrangement of the various elements of my invention which I have herein illustrated and described, nor do I desire to limit myself to any specific materials for use in the construction of the device, as it will be evident that any suitable materials may be employed and that various changes in the details of construction and arrangement may be adopted without departing,

from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 'Having thus described my invention, I

claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of-the United States:

1. In a fountain pen the combination from adjacent said point, threads upon the exterior of said barrel operative to engage with threads upon the interior of said cap,

a cup formed upon the end of said barrel, a ball in said cup, and means operative to conduct a fluid fromfthe interior of said barrel to the surface of said ball and to the space between said cap and said barrel, said said ball within said cup.

2. In a fountain pen the combination with a substantially cylindrical elongated. barrel forming an ink reservoir and tapered at one end, of means operative to close the other end of said barrel, a substantially cone-shaped cap removably positioned upon said barrel and spaced therefrom adjacent its extremity andhaving an opening at its smaller end, a ball, a cup-shaped seat for said ball upon the tapered end of said barrel, and a duct leading from said reservoir to the surface of said seat, said coneshaped cap being operative to maintain said ball in rotatable relation with said seat and said duct to conduct a fluid to the space between said cap and said barrel.

3. In a fountain pen, the combination with a substantially cylindrical elongated barrel having one end tapered to form a point, of a cap interiorly tapered less sharply than said barrel and positioned over said point whereby a space is left between said point and said cap, a depression VAN VECHTON RIESBERG.

Witnesses GEORGE K. I'IELLERT, ALEXANDER PARK. 

